Deciphering the New Antisemitism

Description

Read an excerpt from Chapter 12: "Generational Changes in the Holocaust Denial Movement in the United States" by Aryeh Tuchman

Deciphering the New Antisemitism addresses the increasing prevalence of antisemitism on a global scale. Antisemitism takes on various forms in all parts of the world, and the essays in this wide-ranging volume deal with many of them: European antisemitism, antisemitism and Islamophobia, antisemitism and anti-Zionism, and efforts to demonize and delegitimize Israel. Contributors are an international group of scholars who clarify the cultural, intellectual, political, and religious conditions that give rise to antisemitic words and deeds. These landmark essays are noteworthy for their timeliness and ability to grapple effectively with the serious issues at hand.

Introduction Alvin H. Rosenfeld
Part I. Defining and Assessing Antisemitism
1. Antisemitism and Islamophobia: The Inversion of the Debt Pascal Bruckner
2. The Ideology of the New Antisemitism Kenneth L. Marcus
3. A Framework for Assessing Antisemitism: Three Case Studies (Dieudonné, Erdoğan, and Hamas) Günther Jikeli
4. Virtuous Antisemitism Elhanan Yakira
Part II. Intellectual and Ideological Contexts
5. Historicizing the Transhistorical: Apostasy and the Dialectic of Jew-Hatred Doron Ben-Atar
6. Literary Theory and the Delegitimization of Israel Jean Axelrad Cahan
7. Good News from France: There Is No New Antisemitism Bruno Chaouat
8. Anti-Zionism and the Anarchist Tradition Eirik Eiglad
9. Antisemitism and the Radical Catholic Traditionalist Movement Mark Weitzman
Part III. Holocaust Denial, Evasion, Minimization
10. The Uniqueness Debate Revisited Bernard Harrison
11. Denial, Evasion, and Anti-Historical Antisemitism: The Continuing Assault on Memory
David Patterson
12. Generational Changes in the Holocaust Denial Movement in the United States Aryeh Tuchman
Part IV. Regional Manifestations
13. From Occupation to Occupy: Antisemitism and the Contemporary Left in the United States
Sina Arnold
14. The EU's Responses to Contemporary Antisemitism: A Shell Game R. Amy Elman
15. Anti-Israeli Boycotts: European and International Human Rights Law Perspectives Aleksandra Gliszczynska-Grabias
16. Delegitimizing Israel in Germany and Austria: Past Politics, the Iranian Threat, and Post-national Anti-Zionism Stephan Grigat
17. Antisemitism and Antiurbanism, Past and Present: Empirical and Theoretical Approaches Bodo Kahmann
18. Tehran's Efforts to Mobilize Antisemitism: The Global Impact Matthias Küntzel
List of Contributors
Index

Sujets

• 20th Century
• Jewish Studies
• Modern
• HISTORY
• Histoire
• Modern history
• Cold War
• General officer
• History of Europe
• General
• Obermodern-Zutzendorf
• Europe

Informations

• Publié par: Indiana University Press
• Date de parution: 09 décembre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780253018694
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

DECIPHERING THE NEW
ANTISEMITISM
STUDIES IN ANTISEMITISM
Alvin H. Rosenfeld
DECIPHERING THE NEW
ANTISEMITISM

EDITED BY
ALVIN H. ROSENFELD
This book is a publication of
Indiana University Press Office of Scholarly Publishing Herman B Wells Library 350 1320 East 10th Street Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA
iupress.indiana.edu
2015 by Indiana University Press
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z 39.48-1992.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Library in Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Deciphering the new antisemitism / edited by Alvin H. Rosenfeld.
pages cm. - (Studies in antisemitism)
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-253-01865-6 (cloth : alk. paper) - ISBN 978-0-253-01869-4 (ebook) 1. Antisemitism-History-21st century-Congresses. 2. Antisemitism-Congresses. I. Rosenfeld, Alvin H. (Alvin Hirsch), [date]- editor.
DS 145. D 435 2016
305.892 4-dc23
2015020756
1 2 3 4 5 20 19 18 17 16 15
For Diane Druck With Gratitude and in Friendship
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction / Alvin H. Rosenfeld
PART I . Defining and Assessing Antisemitism
1. Antisemitism and Islamophobia: The Inversion of the Debt / Pascal Bruckner
2. The Ideology of the New Antisemitism / Kenneth L. Marcus
3. A Framework for Assessing Antisemitism: Three Case Studies (Dieudonn , Erdo an, and Hamas) / G nther Jikeli
4. Virtuous Antisemitism / Elhanan Yakira
PART II . Intellectual and Ideological Contexts
5. Historicizing the Transhistorical: Apostasy and the Dialectic of Jew Hatred / Doron Ben-Atar
6. Literary Theory and the Delegitimization of Israel / Jean Axelrad Cahan
7. Good News from France: There Is No New Antisemitism / Bruno Chaouat
8. Anti-Zionism and the Anarchist Tradition / Eirik Eiglad
9. Antisemitism and the Radical Catholic Traditionalist Movement / Mark Weitzman
PART III . Holocaust Denial, Evasion, Minimization
10. The Uniqueness Debate Revisited / Bernard Harrison
11. Denial, Evasion, and Antihistorical Antisemitism: The Continuing Assault on Memory / David Patterson
12. Generational Changes in the Holocaust Denial Movement in the United States / Aryeh Tuchman
PART IV . Regional Manifestations
13. From Occupation to Occupy: Antisemitism and the Contemporary Left in the United States / Sina Arnold
14. The EU s Responses to Contemporary Antisemitism: A Shell Game? / R. Amy Elman
15. Anti-Israeli Boycotts: European and International Human Rights Law Perspectives / Aleksandra Gliszczynska-Grabias
16. Delegitimizing Israel in Germany and Austria: Past Politics, the Iranian Threat, and Post-national Anti-Zionism / Stephan Grigat
17. Antisemitism and Antiurbanism, Past and Present: Empirical and Theoretical Approaches / Bodo Kahmann
18. Tehran s Efforts to Mobilize Antisemitism: The Global Impact / Matthias K ntzel
List of Contributors
Index
Acknowledgments
UNDER THE AUSPICES OF Indiana University s Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism ( ISCA ), forty-five scholars from ten countries came together in Bloomington in April 2014 for four days of intensive analysis and discussion of the recent upsurge of anti-Jewish hostility. The chapters of this book are revised versions of many of the papers presented at this gathering, the second international scholars conference on antisemitism that ISCA has convened.
I thank all of the conference participants for their important critical insights into the challenging subject matter before us and for the exceptional display of collegiality that marked our deliberations. I am grateful to Ira Forman, the U.S. State Department s special envoy to combat and monitor antisemitism, who spoke to conference participants and especially invited guests about his work on the evening before our sessions formally began.
I am particularly grateful to M. Alison Hunt, who was invaluable in more ways than one in helping me organize the conference and prepare many of the conference papers for subsequent publication. I can hardly thank Alison enough for being such a congenial and efficient coworker-a pleasure to have by my side from start to finish.
Special thanks likewise go to Janet Rabinowitch for carefully reading and editing all of the book s chapters. Janet s professional expertise as an editor is of the highest order and is matched by her personal graciousness and generosity. I am hugely appreciative of all her efforts on this volume s behalf.
I also thank Melissa Deckard, Janice Hurtuk, Tracy Richardson, and Melissa Hunt for their steadfast assistance in helping with a range of conference-related details.
My deepest gratitude goes to the following benefactors, whose generosity, in addition to being of direct practical help, is the best vote of confidence in our work that I could possibly hope for: the Justin M. Druck Family (sponsoring benefactor), Hart and Simona Hasten, David Semmel and Jocelyn Bowie, Monique Stolnitz, Tom Kramer, Marija Krupoves-Berg and Dr. Daniel Berg, Irwin Broh, Gale Nichols, Roger and Claudette Temam, and Carole Silverstein and Dr. Bruce Silverstein.

Few undertakings are more dispiriting for scholars than the study of antisemitism. For lifting the hearts and strengthening the resolve of conference participants, it is a pleasure to acknowledge the special contributions of Marija Krupoves-Berg, Daniel Stein, Svetla Vladeva, Dena El Saffar, and Tim Moore, whose inspired performances of Jewish music helped us through some difficult days.
Finally, I am most grateful to President Michael McRobbie, Provost Lauren Robel, and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Larry Singell for their support of the work of the Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism. Indiana University is one of only two institutes of higher learning in the United States that houses a research institute of this kind. It is both a privilege and a pleasure to work at a university whose administrative leadership is as understanding, cooperative, and supportive of such new initiatives as these distinguished colleagues are.
Alvin H. Rosenfeld
DECIPHERING THE NEW
ANTISEMITISM
Introduction
ALVIN H. ROSENFELD
THIS BOOK ADDRESSES a disturbing phenomenon that was largely unforeseen in the recent past but has since grown to be one of the most highly charged developments of our time: the upsurge of antisemitism on a global scale. Such hostility has increased significantly since the end of the previous century, and while it takes a variety of forms and poses different challenges in different parts of the world, it is always a threat and needs to be taken seriously-and not only by Jews. This latter point was made clear in a brief but telling statement issued in July 2014 by the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Italy. They condemned the anti-Semitic rhetoric and hostility towards Jews [and] attacks on people of the Jewish faith and synagogues that were taking place almost daily in their countries and elsewhere in Europe. Recognizing the ominous nature of these occurrences, they pledged to do everything we can to ensure that our citizens can continue to live in peace and security, free from anti-Semitic hostility. 1 By themselves, obviously, these words would not put an end to the escalation of antisemitism in European societies. But presented as a premonitory warning to all of their citizens, and intended not only to calm the rattled nerves of French, German, and Italian Jews, the foreign ministers statement was necessary and timely. It was also politically wise, for it is well-known that the pathologies that animate antisemitism do not focus their destructive energies only on Jews but, if left unchecked, inevitably end up targeting others, as well, and can create high levels of social chaos and disruption.
Jonathan Sacks, the former chief rabbi of Great Britain, expanded on this latter point in these terms: Antisemitism has been the early warning signal of a society in danger. . . . The politics of hate that begins with Jews never ends with Jews. . . . Ultimately, this campaign amounts to an attack on Western democratic freedoms as a whole. If not halted now, it will be Europe itself that will be pushed back to the Dark Ages. 2
Without minimizing the grounds for Rabbi Sacks s apprehension-much of what he says is warranted-most informed observers of contemporary antisemitism do not anticipate a return to the Dark Ages. They do, however, debate whether analogies can be properly drawn between what is happening in Europe today and what took place on the continent in the 1930s. Despite the growing popularity in some countries of far-right-wing parties that are overtly antisemitic, there is no evidence to date of an established politics of discrimination against Jews on the governmental level. On the social and cultural levels, however, antisemitic comments are now commonplace and are no longer heard only on the margins of society. Anti-Zionist vilification and anti-Jewish censure circulate freely in the media, in politics, in certain churches and trade unions, and on university campuses. Such hostile rhetoric has also